Fix your favorite potluck dish, select a choice bottle of wine, pull out the summer lawn chair and confirm your reservations for the ÒNiles Home Concert SeriesÓ for an experience like no other. The non-profit series is located at an outdoor, private venue in the historic Niles District of Fremont and offers great local musicians, a high-quality audio production and a convivial gathering of music lovers.

With live music disappearing from The Vine and the Niles Town Plaza, the ÒNiles Home Concert SeriesÓ is embarking on its second official season and looking to extend its roots. ÒI wanted to maintain a venue in town where musicians can come and play,Ó says venue host, co-producer and sponsor Paul Welschmeyer. A licensed architect who just likes music, Welschmeyer started the Home Concert Series with his musician co-partner Matt Hayden to preserve live music performances in the area and foster a great social and listening venue. While musicians in other outdoor or bar concert environments might easily be turned into background music, the home concert provides a space free of distractions where attendees can focus on the reason theyÕre there Ð the music.

All bands in the series are based in the Bay Area and offer a variety of sounds including Americana folk music, indie rock, and singer/songwriters fare. Misner & Smith recorded their new album in Niles, not more than three blocks away from the Home Concert venue.

In addition to being a great spot for local musicians, the home concerts also provide a hands-on learning outlet for Ohlone College students who can intern at events in order to gain experience in live music set up.

Musicians spend a lot of time competing among themselves for venue spaces and time slots in a continuous struggle to get themselves seen and their music heard. The Home Concert provides better publicity, a decent fee, and a great audio venue for the artists. One hundred percent of the ticket fee goes to the performing musician. ÒWe download music, we Pandora it; we donÕt pay for any of this stuff,Ó says Welschmeyer. ÒI want to give them a venue and a decent fee to do their art.Ó This year musicians will also benefit from recordings that will be made of each concert.

Monica Pasqual and the Handsome Brunettes, and Dear John Love Renee featuring Renee Harcourt and John McConnel kick off the series with the Spring Concert on Saturday, June 14. Pasqual and Harcourt, known as the founding members of Blame Sally, are each pursuing solo ventures and will be performing material from their solo albums. Both have an Americana folk indie sound.

Make sure to mark your calendar for additional concerts: the Summer Concert will be held Saturday, July 26 and feature Felsen (http://www.reverbnation.com/felsen) and Misner & Smith with guest musician Bruce Kaphan (http://misnerandsmith.com/); the Fall Concert is scheduled for the eve of the ÒNiles Antique Faire and Flea Market,Ó Saturday, August 30 and will feature Warbler (http://warblerband.com/) and Kyle Terrizzi (http://theplasticarts.com/).

The ÒNiles Home Concert SeriesÓ is sponsored by Paul Welschmeyer Architects and Energy Consultants and Matt Hayden.

Attendance is by advance RSVP only. Those interested should visit the eventÕs Facebook page, select a concert, and pay for their seat through Pay Pal. For those without Facebook access, a seat can still be reserved by calling (510) 825-0783. Seating capacity is 50 house seats, with space for an additional 40 guests who bring their own lawn chair. If you want to eat, bring your own potluck dish; water and coffee will be provided.